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Malaysia and Cambodia

Hello,

This is about my upcoming trip to Malaysia and Cambodia. The first part is pre-trip - information about flights, itineraries, accommodation and all the things that you need to do to plan an overseas holiday. This is my first trip to Asia and I hope it may help others. Comments are very welcome and anyone who has travelled to Malaysia and/or Cambodia, please feel free to comment and offer any advice or tips that you think would be helpful. As of today ( 28th February) , in exactly 11 days (minus 30 minutes) I will be in Kuala Lumpur.
Cheers.

I had the most amazing time and hope you enjoy reading about my trip. Each post is numbered and I'm doing them in order from start to finish - a little like a diary.

ANGKOR WAT SUNRISE




Showing posts with label B Siem Reap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label B Siem Reap. Show all posts

Sunday

68. Goodbye to Siem Reap

All too soon my driver came to take me to the airport and as we sped along the road on that last day in the early morning, I felt sad - very sad that I was leaving. I didn't want to leave, I wanted to stay. We all feel a little sad when a holiday comes to an end but this was different. The atmosphere, the people, the feel of this wonderful place had grabbed at my imagination and pulled at my heart strings. But...I knew I couldn't stay - I had a plane to catch and planes, like time, wait for no man. Below are some of my favourite snaps of the last remaining time I had on Cambodian soil.

Above: Reflections in the pond

Above: Reflections

Above: Cafe Gourmet
Although there are 'No smoking' signs at the airport, this cafe was near to one side and I asked the chap if I bought a cup of coffee could I smoke there to which he replied, "Yes". So I did. The coffee was $3.00. And it was good coffee.


Above: View from the Cafe
There were tables and chairs plus some comfortable looking couches. I sat on a couch with a low coffee table in front and this was my view. With wide, floor-length windows, you feel as though you're outside.

 
Above: The second pond
I love this shot - this pool was in the distance and the trees make for a very peaceful view.

 
Above: Airport sculpture
After  my coffee, I went back outside for one last look. I took photos of the brilliant coloured flowers, some of which are in the slideshow at the top of this blog. This sculpture is smack bang in the middle of the 'round-a-bout' outside the entrance.

 
Above: Entrance
So much greenery, a far cry from other modern airports with their concrete and asphalt.

 
Above: What's the time Mr. Wolf?
You won't lose track of time - this large clock is suspended from the ceiling.

 
Above: Waiting
Note the high ceiling and roof - no doubt it helps deflect the ever present heat. I like it, it gives a feeling of light and spaciousness.

 
Above: Books for sale
Some of the shops at the airport. There was an Artisans d'Angkor shop here and I purchased a couple more silk items for people I'd forgotten to buy for - two purses for $10 each. Their prices were the same as at the silk factory.

After this, I wandered around looking for a fridge magnet (I liked fridge magnets - they make nice souvenirs and don't take up a lot of luggage space, plus they're light-weight) and I found I had a lot of trouble finding one that said "Siem Reap" - most of them said (of all things) "Phnom Penh" which seemed pretty silly to me given that this was Siem Reap! Anyway, I contented myself with a wooden magnet in the shape of Cambodia with the Cambodian flag on it.

 
Above: Watching the planes
You get a wonderful view of the plane(s) taking off or landing, and this view makes me think of the old colonial days of some British outpost.


 
Above: Departure Lounge
As you can see - everywhere is light and airy and filled with tropical plants.

Above: Plane to KL
Walkling out onto the tarmac, this was our plane.

Above: Aerial view of Siem Reap
I was craning my neck and looking around like a big kid at my surroundings.

Above: Mist on the plane
We, the paassengers were not quite sure what this rolling mist was or why it was there, but everyone was talking in an excited babble about it. Perhaps the plane need fumigation?

Above: Palms
As the plane slowly made its way down the runway, one side had a very long row of palms.

 
Above: Cloud over Cambodia
As we rose in the air, this was my view of Siem Reap - a fair bit of cloud about.

 
Above: The Last View
The blue is the real colour and hasn't been "photo-shopped" (I don't have photoshop anyway) and if you look closely, you can see the ground at the bottom of the photo. This was my last view of Cambodia and of a wonderful country with people with smiles and a friendliness that is genuine.

Monday

67. The Last Sunrise

My last morning in Siem Reap and I had trouble sleeping, so I went upstairs to the balcony and sat in the cool morning air and waited for the dawn. As the light slowly changed, I watched my last Cambodian sunrise - it was a bittersweet moment. I was leaving and wanted to stay. The past coulpe of days had been the most meaningful and rewarding of any and I didn;t want it to end. I felt at one with this place and could easily have stayed for a very long time.

Above: Balcony view
This was my view in the early hours of the morning.

Above: The Last Sunrise
Wonderful pinks from the rising of the sun. Taken from the upstairs balcony. I wish I had been able to get a more panoramic photo, but it wasn't possible with the balcony building outline.

Friday

55. From Temples To Breakfast

In The Middle Of The Morning

After witnessing the glorious sunrise at Angkor Wat and spending some time around the area, I walked back, found my driver and said I was ready for breakfast. He seemed surprised that I wanted to go back to the guesthouse. Maybe others usually just continue on with the temple visiting and eating breakky along the way. Anyway, I hopped back in and as we made our way back to Siem Reap, enjoyed the wonderful sights on the way.


Building Design and Architecture

 
Above: Architectural Styles
a) Top left is the Angkor National Museum which I thought looked striking. The minaret type domes and the pillars at the arched entrance combine to add a certain flair.

b) If it weren't for the fancy gold detail and Siva with Nandi on the front gable, and the Malaysian flag, you could be forgiven for thinking this building on the right was photographed back home in Australia, or indeed any number of countries.

c) The BBQ buffet and Picnic Station is just before the Museum and had I had time, I'd have gone there for a meal.

d) D'mouj is a handcraft and carpet gallery which specialises in hand-made South Asian crafts and objects d'art. The building reminded me of similar ones down on the Mornington Peninsula at Sorrento. (A seaside holiday place in Victoria)

What I found fascinating was such a diverse style of architecture in Siem Reap which is really quite a small place. It all adds to the atmosphere - modern, architectural brilliance alongside humble, timber sheds and market stalls with corrugated iron awnings and colourful umbrellas and canvas verandah shades.


Food, Glorious Food!
I loved the colourful shops and road stalls with their colourful umbrellas and striped awnings - they seem so full of life and have that special something which is sometimes lacking from western countries. It's Joie de vivre come to life.

 
Above: Local Shops and Vegie Stalls

a) The lass in the top left photo is washing some green vegetables, and no, I couldn't quite see what they were,

b) Next door are what appear to be pineapple, Svay prum`saen, a type of tropical mango and Svay Kchei (baby mango) which is used for snacks and pickles and Lahong Kchei (green papaya).

c) Here we have cigarette machines - two of them, and an assortment of dried and packaged goods along with the inevitable bottles of water. Just about all food type shops sell water. The stall keeper has removed her lilac crocs and is resting her feet while she takes a break.

d) An assortment of different goods are on offer from fresh fruit to cooking pots and baskets.


Have Wheels Will Travel
It was such fun seeing all the modes of transport. You may recall I mentioned in an earlier post that bicycles and motor bikes are the main method of travel here in Siem Reap.

a) Below is my (second) tuk tuk driver - Mr. Zolar. On his tuk tuk are written the words "Zolar Power" (solar power) which is across from where I was sitting. Like my other driver, Zolar was also pretty nifty at passing slow coaches along the way. "Slow coach" is slang for someone who is moving at a snail's pace - in other words, going too slow! In this photo we had just arrived back at Two Dragons.

 
Above: Local Transport
b) The photo on the right (top row) is one of my favourite - it shows the marvellous street scenes that are to be found here. A dad taking his daughter to school - no helmet of course, (most passengers don't wear them), in her school uniform and pretty pink and red backpack. A man on his bicycle with an assortment of goods for sale - brooms, bamboo rods, feather dusters and cleaning products, and the inevitible tuk tuk, this one with bright red upholstery. If you look closely, you will see a lady in the far right wearing a hat and scarf around her face, her feet enclosed in gumboots. She is one of the numerous people employed to keep the streets clean.

c) And here we have - The Local Coppers! Yes, it's a Police truck in a brillant shade of red. I thought it was a fire truck at first (all the fire trucks in Australia are red) and was delighted to see this Police vehicle. Police vehicles in Australia are white with blue stripes.

d) Easy Rider - bikes, bikes, bikes. If you take a closer look at this photo - see the blue sign in the rear of the photo on the right? Well, that's where my guesthouse is located - you turn left up that street and it's on the right hand side just a few doors down. I came to recognise the blue sign you see, so if I had had the time to stroll around town, I wouldn't (hopefully) have become lost. Just look for the blue sign. It's an ATM sign btw and just up from here is a local supermarket. (I didn't know about the supermarket at the time because, as I said, I didn't have enough time for walking in town. I only realised there's a supermarket here after looking at my photos!)

Chanticleer
Back at my guest house, there is a food stall just opposite which has chickens hanging up outside and the aroma of cooked chicken was nostril-twitching.

 
Above: Dinner!
This black rooster was running around outside that chicken place acrosse the road from the Two Dragons, and this was the only shot of him I was able to get. He may think he's cock of the coop, but I feel sure he will one day end up on someone's dinner plate!
Coq au vin, anyone?

Breakfast In Cambodia - Please Sir, I Want Some More
I loved the local food and was determined not to eat western food while I was in Asia, but I couldn't quite come at eating rice, noodles or pancakes for breakky. (Breakky is a slang Aussie word for breakfast.) The breakfasts on offer at Two Dragons had bacon and eggs on the menu and this I decided I could not do without. (I just love a good breakky of bacon and egg)


 
Above: Breakfast
On the breakfast menu was "Two Dragons Breakfast" which from memory included a few eggs, four rashers of bacon, several sausages, mushrooms (I think) and several pieces of toast.
Then there was "Mini Two Dragons Breakfast" - two eggs, two (Or was it four) rashers of bacon - a smaller version of the first one.

Lastly we had "Small Two Dragons Breakfast" - this was the one I ordered. (I forgot to take a photo, so have used this one instead). I thought two eggs, two rashers of bacon and two toasts would be all that I'd be able to eat. Cost was $2.95 and when it came, I saw that the bacon was over-cooked and dry looking and all shrivelled up. I thought Oh, how disappointing. I was so disappointed, but, of course I couldn't complain - that would have been rude.
But...let me tell you - that bacon was the most beautiful bacon I have ever eaten. The taste was wonderful I have never had bacon as delicious as that bacon I ate at Two Dragons, and I've eaten bacon many times in many places. I loved the taste, the texture so much, I very badly wanted to say to the girls, "Please, could I have some more?" I was reminded of Oliver in Charles Dicken's tale Oliver Twist saying at the parish workhouse, "Please Sir, I want some more."!

I can almost taste that bacon now and I find my mouth salivating at even the thought of it. When I go back to Siem Reap, I will definitley be eating bacon - and next time, I'll ask for a plateful of it. Yum.


What's With All The Tea Leaves?
After my delicious breakfast, I decided to try some Chinese tea. I had had Chinese tea at the Chinese Garden of Friendship when I was up in Sydney last year and really liked it. When the girl brought it to me, I sat looking at it. There was this lovely china "thing" with no handle and a lid. I lifted up the lid and saw - stacks of tea leaves. I sat looking at it, wondering how the heck I was supposed to drink it without getting a mouthful of tea leaves. This was a major problem. A mouthful of tea leaves wasn't my idea of a nice hot cup of tea.

So - I sat. And looked. And thought. And looked. As if by looking inspiration would suddenly dawn.☺ I didn't want to ask (I thought they'd think I was a bit of a dill if I did that). The girl came over and asked if everything was alright? Yes, thank you I'm just having a bit of a rest.

Finally, I re-lifted up the lid and gingerly tried to move the tea leaves to one side, it was then that the idea of maybe, just maybe, the tea leaves lifted out somehow. It did. What a dill I was - the whole thing came out, as you can see below.
 
Above: Chinese Tea
The tea holder (on the right) lifts out of the cup. I was so glad I hadn't asked or said anything - I'd have felt a right Royal fool. I did in fact feel like a right Royal fool anyway. I'm laughing as I write this - as if you'd be served tea and be expected to swallow the leaves. Well, we live and learn eh? So - should you ever find yourself presented with an unfamiliar tea cup, just lift the caddy thing out.

Saturday

50. Fiesta and Siesta

Lunch, a shower and a nap
Arriving back at the Two Dragons, I arranged with Pookeah to go to Angkor Wat later in the afternoon to see the temples at sunset. Sitting down in "my" chair and perusing the menu, I wanted to eat local food and after consultation with Da, decided on noodles with beef and egg, so long as it had vegies in it I was happy.

Above: Pat Mee Leung with beef (58) - lunch
This was my first Asian meal - Pat Mee Leung which was $3.95. Da told me if you order over $3 you get a free can of drink. This was a nice surprise and a welcome one too. Not being an aficionado of that revolting stuff called coca cola, I chose lemonade. You get a small can - about 250ml. Lunch was delicious and afterwards my eyelids were starting to droop. I realised I was falling asleep.

Above: The "Bar"
Going to the bar to pay for my meal I was told it would be put on my bill. I'd never stayed anywhere before where they add it to your "tab". It was a nice feeling.

Above: The Shower
Reaching my room, all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep, but I had to have a shower first, somehow I couldn't hack lying down all hot and sweaty with my clothes sticking to me. Best decision I ever made having that shower. I felt so clean...and so - I lay down and slept, the air conditioner quietly whirring keeping my room cool.

49. Artisans d'Angkor 4 - Cafe garden

Oops, I nearly forgot!
After buying the lovely things from the shop, I walked out and then realised I had forgotten to get something for my Mum. So I went straight back and as the ladies looked up at me (I had spent an inordinate amount of time deciding what to buy), I said I forgot to buy something for my mother. I didn't take long this time around, found a lovely purple eye glasses case and I was finished.

One thing I do know, next time I'm there, I'll be able to make my mind up far more quickly - oh yes, I definitely plan to return to Siem Reap. Now...if I could just refill my pocket up quickly! I'm keeping an eye out for "specials" - cheap flights from Melbourne to KL.


Time for a cuppa
As I stepped out of the shop door for the last time, I thought I'd love to sit under the trees and have a tea or something. There was a lovely little cafe in the garden and a gazebo with timber table and chairs. The weather by now was very hot indeed, and I bought an icecream. Not the shop bought stuff like Peters or Streets - no, this was the real thing - home-made icecream. Cambodian ice-cream is delicious. I bought a local fruit variety. From memory, it was one ringott 50 sen.

Above: Outdoor dining area
This is where I sat while enjoying the most delicious ice-cream. There was a faint breeze which while not cool, was nonetheless very pleasant. Especially sitting in the shade inhaling the fragrances of the flowers and gardens.


Above: Silk Farm gardens
As you can see, there are a couple of undercover picnic areas here with lush gardnes full of greenery, Hibiscus and Frangipani - everywhere you look in Cambodia there is Frangipani. Such a lovely flower with velvety textured petals. Just as I was thinking I really should be gettign a move on, my driver Pookeah came across and I could see that he wanted to be off. The poor man, having to hang around and wait for me when he probably wanted to get home for lunch. I was a bit thoughtless I suppose and hadn't thought of this.


Above: Silk Farm Roadsign
After clambering back in the tuk tuk we set off and as we started to turn onto the road, I asked my driver if he could stop for me so I could take a photo of the sign. He did and I did then we were on our way. Funny thing, the drive back seemed to take no time at all - no more touring around, we went straight back to the Two Dragons.

I had had a lovely time, seen some amazing things, bought some of the most beautiful hand made items and was very happy. It was really relaxing just sitting down and being driven along - not a care in the world. It's a nice feeling.

I would recommend anyone going to Siem Reap to visit the silk farm at Artisans d'Angkor, it is well worth it and even if you're on a very tight schedule, do make the effort to go there - you won't be disappointed.

48. Artisans d'Angkor 3 - Silk Museum and Shop

The Finished Product


Above: Colours worn by Khmer Royalty for each day of the week
These are the colours worn by Khmer Royalty - a different one for each day of the week. Starting from the left, the pink was worn on Mondays, the orange of Tuesdays, the royal blue on Wednesdays, the green on Thursdays and so on. I remember thinking at the time, what a marvellous idea, you wouldn't have the problem of "What should I wear to the party?" - you'd just go with the colour of the day. An eminently suitable idea too, think how easy it makes it to match handbags and shoes!


Above: Cambodian traditional dress
As we were moving along I saw these lovely clothes which are the traditional Cambodian style of dress, although I think many people today wear a more modern style, they still retain some of the traditional styling in the way the garnents are cut.
The sampot is a lower-body, wrap around cloth and is the national garment of Cambodia. There are several variations of the sampot, each is worn according to class.
A regular sampot known as the sarong was about one and a half metres long and both ends were sewn together and tied at the waist. These were worn by men and women of lower class.

Sampot Chang Kben worn by ladies of middle and upper class, was 3 metres long and a metre wide. It was wrapped around the waist, stretching it away from the body and twisting the knot which was then pulled between the legs and held by a metal belt. Regardless of class, all Cambodian women wear the Sampot Chang Kben for special events. Men may wear it, but the traditional patterns depend on gender.


Above: Cambodian traditional Royal dress
As you can see, the clothing worn by Royalty is far different from that worn by the rest of the population. Notice the richly embroidered gold thread and the many sparkling jewels sewn on. Lovely though they are, you wouldn't be able to sit for long in them. And those head dresses would give you a headache and a half. They look pretty heavy to me - imagine having to wear one on your head all day. You'd be longing for nightfall just so you could get the thing off! Still, maybe the kings and queens didn't have to have them on all day.


Above: Silk Panels
I asked Bunneano if he could hold the silk panel out for me so as to get a better shot. These panels were at least 12 foot long and almost a metre wide and are woven so fine as to be almost sheer.

Above: Bed Cover
This lovely sample could be used as a bed cover and has at least seven or eight different colours running throughout. Below is a close-up.

 
Above: Closeup of the bed covering
Click on the photo to enlarge it and you can see the intricacy of the patterns. And it is all woven manually by hand.


Above: Framework
These were on the floor near the bed cover, I'm not sure what they are, but the vibrant colours were very striking.

I was hoping there were silk products available for sale, and yes, there is a largish shop with many lovely things. The ladies working there were very polite and friendly and didn't mind that I seemed to take forever making up my mind what to buy. I was like a child in a toy shop, there were so many, many beautiful things to choose from. I eventually settled on the gifts I would take back home with me - two coin purses, a ladies wallet, eye glasses case, two card holders, which was funny as I thought they were small rectangular coin purses!


Above: Purchases
I also bought a small evening bag which isn't shown here but was in a lovely shade of green called Anise. I had wanted a pink one but there were none left. For myself, I settled on a scarf and a handbag.

 
Above: Bag and scarf
I really liked two bags they were both the same but in different colours. The one I wanted was the same colour as the red striped wallet but I also liked the one in the above picture. I hummed and haa-ed over them, taking forever to make up my mind. I knew I should get the red/fuschia one because those colours suit me especially as I planned on buying a matching scarf. Yet something held me back and I ended up buying the one you see above with a blue/green scarf. The inside silk lining is more a green although it looks a bit yellowy in the photo.

The bag really looks quite elegant but I still wish I'd bought the red striped one. I wish I'd bought both bags, but like a lot of things in life, we think of these things when it's too late. The straw bag with the navy silk fabric down the middle is what the sales lady put mu purchases into. I thoguht this was a nice touch and so - I have another bag.

I couldn't get over the cost of the items - I thought they were very reasonably priced. Where would you get a hand woven silk handbag for US$49? It'd cost a lot more buying products of this calibre in western countries.

Friday

47. Artisans d'Angkor 2 - Yarn Preparation

From Cocoon to Yarn
We now move to the next phase of the silk making process - that of turning these furry little golden yellow cocoons into beautiful silk thread.


Above: Boiling the cocoons
Silkworm cocoons, known as golden silk, are boiled to help detach the silk from the worm. This process is called degumming and after it's done the cocoon goes into another boiling pot to have the fine silk layer fished out.

The girls working here all seemed very shy and let me take their photos. They were all very industrious and I could see the look of concentration on their faces. They really care about what they do and seem to take great pride in their work.


Above: Extracting the silk thread
The next stage - another boiling pot for the fine silk. It was so fine, I could barely see it - even though I had my glasses on. I swear it was so fine that even Superman with his X ray vision would have had difficulty. The guide lifted some threads up for me with the aid of tongs and let me feel it, remarking on how strong it was. It may be finer than the finest spiderweb, but the thread was very strong in spite of it's delicate look.



Above: Extracting the silk thread
Further on in the process, the extracted thread is spooled and wrapped on to big wheels to give it more tension.


Above: Spinning racks
The big chunks you see in the foreground is the raw silk - the yarn is wound on the spinning racks.


Above: Natural dyes
The silk is dyed naturally, using plant roots, extracts from plants, leaves and even bark and rusty nails to get the beautiful colours you can see here.


 
Above: Weaving
In this photo, the young girl is moving the shuttle (threaded with the silk thread) from left to right. I stood watching as she, and others wove the silk. The shuttle was moved from right to left, then the weaver places both hands on a piece of wood which is the width of the fabric and pulls this towards her, she then moves the shuttle from left to right, then pulls the wide piece of wood towards her again. This is repeated time and time again. It takes one day to weave one metre of silk.

There were several girls weaving, from the simplest of plain fabric to the more intricate patterns. One fabric which was very beautiful with many colours had fourteen different shuttles - one for each colour! The work is back breaking and the constant motion of moving the shoulders and arms would no doubt have me running for the nearest doctor with backache! Honestly, I didn't know how they could do this for it is arduous and not for the faint hearted.

And seeing these young women at work, gave me an insight as to why hand woven products are so highly prized. No machine could produce such beautiful fabrics and designs.


Above: Lunch!
As we moved along, I noticed these fish and thinking they were part of the dyeing process asked, "What sort of fish are they and what are they for?"

Bunneano looked at me and said, "Lunch!"

Oh, I felt like it was foot in mouth time!☺

46. Artisans d'Angkor 1 - Silk Farm

On the way
A few things that stand out in memory which I forgot to mention earlier, after visiting Preah Promreah and crossing over the bridge, we were driving along and crossed yet another bridge and as we turned right, my driver slowed down and made to pull over on the corner saying to me, "You want to visit the crocodile farm and do a tour?" to which I replied, "No". He turned his head and asked didn't I want to see the crocodiles? People like to see crocodiles. I told him, "No thanks Pookeah, we got crocs back in Darwin". Evidently, this was something he hadn't enctountered before and thought it strange that I wasn't interested.

No crocodiles thanks, I'm Australian!
How to explain Australia has plenty of crocs - big salties up around the Top End and FNQ? (Far North Queensland) - I remember when I went to Darwin, Kakadu and Arnhem Land and went to Litchfiled NP, the "Jumping Crocs" cruise on the Adelaide Queen was included and I was so excited at actually seeing them instead of just in pictures or on the telly. And of all the many photos I took trying to capture a decent shot. I didn't have a digital camera then and when I think of all the money I spent paying to get the film developed. Anyway, at other places I've been to on my travels around Oz, overseas tourists are amazed that I don't want to "See the crocodiles" - crocs, like anything else, you've seen one (croc) you've seen 'em all!☺

I have water
There were a number of little stalls along the way and I wanted to stop at least one of them, not so much because I wanted to buy anything, (although I would have purchased something, otherwise I'd have felt like a real heel), but more because I really would like to have sat and chatted with people. So, after seeing yet another stall with colourful umbrellas and children running around, I called out to my driver, "Oh, could we stop here please and go back there?" Pookeah asked me why, and I said the first thing that came into my head (well I thought too that it was a reasonable request and sounded much nicer than saying I just want to have a look around and mix with the locals) - I said I'd like to buy a bottle of water.

"You want water? Is no problem, I have water here." And with that, he stopped, hopped off, went around the back of the tuk tuk, lifted up a lid and produced a bottle of water. Damn! Naturally I thanked him and smiled. And made sure I didn't let the disappointment show on my face.

That's not the silk farm
Driving on and drinking my water and having a few fags along the way (one of the greatest things I noticed in Cambodia - people don't get in a tizzy when you smoke, not like back home where you're made to feel like a leper) I saw a place on the right hand side on a corner saying "Silk Farm" - there's the silk farm are we going to stop there? "No that's not silk farm". But it says silk farm says I, not there says my driver, silk farm is up this way. Not understanding why he didn't stop, I sat back and enjoyed the ride. It wasn't till we had gone for a further twenty minutes or so, that I understood - for there, with a big sign was the silk farm. And it bore no resemblamce to the other little place we passed.

The silk farm I later found out, is located about a 20 minute drive from Siem Reap in the Puok district. As my driver was taking me on a "countryside" tour, it took far longer than the said 20 minutes, and I got to see so much more because of it.


About Artisans d'Angkor
Artisan's d'Anglor began in 1998. It was created to help the young people to find work in their home villages by providing them with high skilled training and a vocation from which they can earn a living.

 
Above: Artisans d'Angkor

Over a thousand people are employed by Artisans d'Angkor today and the establishment of rural workshops has helped to slow down the rural depopulation of Siem Reap surroundings by increasing income of rural Cambodian families. Cambodia has long been famous for its silk, and much of the country and population was decimated during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. By supporting its people and enabling them to find work, the government is trying to get the country back on its feet and learning the almost lost art of traditional hand-weaving is a value which can be handed down for generations.

Teaching
At Chantiers-Écoles young girls from the villages are brought here and learn all about the silk process and how to weave. Many of them live a long way from the town of Siem Reap - about 15kms. The Cambodia government and the French government pay for this. They sleep at the school and have their meals there. They have to pass a test and when they do, they go back to their villages where they can get jobs as weavers. This is how it was explained to me by Bunneano who showed me around the farm.

 
Above: Bunneano my guide
My driver said he'd meet me "over there" when I came out and showed me where the entrance was. I walked up this path with lovely shady trees, to the door and this lovely young man introduced himself to me saying his name was Bunneano and took me on a tour of the silk farm.


Silk Farm Tour

 
Above: Entrance
This lovely shady entrance is a welcome retreat from the heat and is set in lovely gardens.

 
Above: Three Angels
As we walked along the path on the right hand side, these little children were playing and let me take their photo. I asked their names but didn't write them down. Something I noticed, whenever I asked permission to take a photo, whether in Cambodia or Malaysia, they always make the "V" sign with their fingers.

 
Above: Mulberry plantation
Next we went passed the Mulberry plantation - lots and lots of trees, there are eighteen species grown here. We have a white mulberry tree in our back yard at home which has white mulberrys which I'm told by my landlord are edible and taste very nice. I said this to Bunneano and asked was it the same. It isn't, it's a different one to the trees which produce the leaves the silkworms eat.

 
Above: Silkworm eggs
The female moth lays many tiny little eggs - as many as 300 at a time.

 
Above: 12 day old silkworms
A little caterpillar hatches out of the egg. The caterpillars above are twelve days old, steadily getting bigger and fatter from their diet of mulberry leaves. As they get bigger and bigger, they go through four molts. They eat for three days and sleep for one day.


 
Above: Cocoons
The caterpillars spin a cocoon of silk thread around themselves and inside the cocoon, the caterpillar changes into a pupa.

 
Above: Lifecycle of cocoons


 
Above: The silkworm room
Here are a number of "plates" with silkworms of varying ages on them busily eating blissfully unaware that their little lives are almost over and they will go on to become a silk scarf around your neck or a pair of silken slippers on your feet.

Above: Silkworm harvesting - the old way
When the cocoons are the right age, they are harvested. This was the old way of harvesting and they could often get caught on the rough bits of tiwgs.


Above: The new way
The newer, more modern method is far superior to that of the old.

Above: The new way
Twenty per cent (20%) of the silkworms bred are kept for breeding and to ensure reproduction, while the remaining eighty per cent (80%) are used to extract the silk thread. Did you know Cambodian silkworms are unique, as they are yellow in colour compared to white ones of other countries?

The next post is about the next stage in the silk making process.
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